Are you getting deaf ?!?

Some people have noticed those links to various ASL web sites... and have inferred that I'm deaf or I'm getting deaf.

Maybe, as I get older... but I am a hearing person...

So.... other blog, other people... and some people do not know the story.

Besides... you do not know the *full* story... anyway.

Here's the lesser known story:

According to my mom, when she gave me birth, it is said that for a brief period of time, I suffocated and it was discovered later that the lack of oxygen has done some damages to my brain.

So is the region of the brain that processes sound.

(And it might explain other things, such as homosexuality and bisexuality. There are two theories: genes can explain why some men and women are gay or bi... and there's also brain damage due to lack of oxygen at birth time, my case. This is this lead that scientists are actively studying. Of course, I'm thinking that they're on something! :) ).

So I hear like most hearing persons (well I have a slight hearing loss on my left ear, but nothing worrisome), but *processing* human speech is a struggle. For me, it's associating seemingly noise to visual words, so I appear to you as if I was hard of hearing. Often I have to ask people to repeat, so I can catch what I've missed.

(So imagine when I have to speak in English... with the translation back and forth from French to English, on top of processing human speech... I'm exhausted, and it's not a figure of style, I feel exhausted for real)

By the way, when I joined FC, I was surprised and delighted to see that some bloggers, and some very well known bloggers also have to deal with a similar struggle... and I was floored by our common origins.

So I despise phone conversations. It exhausts me. I prefer a direct meeting face to face... or better, having that conversation carried in words, whether over IM sessions or just plain e-mails.

When I meet in person, I can *see* that person, his/her non-verbal moves. I can also read lips, so having these additional clues help me to compensate for my seemingly "hearing loss". :)

When television began to have closed captioning, I was delighted. Often, I lower the volume to the bare minimum, just enough to get the tone of the people speaking, and then I read the text on the screen. That was much much easier for me. (I also realize that some well regarded shows had terrible close captioning!!).

So, that's the story few people know...

Now, the story that many fellow FC bloggers know:

When I was planning for the west coast trip, the passport issues (plural!) have been resolved only at the very last minute. Vancouver and Victoria were planned first, and Seattle of course, last.

Not that I was explicitly looking for it, but should timing coincide, it would have been a pleasure to meet bloggers and online friends along the way. I met some fine bloggers and online friends in Vancouver and Victoria.

In Seattle, A fantastic person, and fellow blogger by the handle name of Tantrikagoddess invited me to stay at her home, for my entire stay in the region. I accepted the offer.

She is deaf, but she assures me that communication wouldn't be a problem.

Oooookay! :)

Those who know me are probably aware that in a previous (online) life, I manage forums for various online services. Usually tech forums, but I did some "Cultures and language"-type forums. They needed a Frenchie, so I raised my hand. :)

It was customary for staffers to know a few words in various languages. There's nothing like being welcome in your own language. People understand that you can't be fluent in many languages, but they appreciate the effort of learning a few words.

I subscribe to that. With barely a month before that meet in Seattle, I was a bit like most hearing persons. Learning Sign Language? Eeeek!!!! (Hands shaking here!!! It looks like something frightening!).

So I got books, even a DVD... and I figure that I'll learn what I could, in a month.

So I was able to "fingerspell" (learning the signs for letters A through Z), and I did learn a few customary ASL signs, like "hi", "how are you", etc...

However, I figure that learning fingerspelling was important. At least I could spell a word if there's a miscommunication. So I put a lot of effort on fingerspelling.

I can mention that my stay in Seattle went fine, very fine and indeed there were little miscommunication. Tantrika reads lips very well. So well that you forget... that she is deaf.

The point is: She has to see you in order to "hear" you. :) A small detail that I keep forgetting... and leading to some funny quiprodquo and always ending in many giggles. :)

But she did appreciate that I made the effort of learning some basic ASL signs. To me, it's proper etiquette. When you meet a person who "speaks" a "foreign language", well you make the effort of learning a few "words" in that language.

You have noticed the use of double quotes. You can't call signs... words, but you know what I mean!

However, this is NOT the end of the story.

In the past, I tried to learn other languages (such as Italian and German), and I had to quit. It wouldn't work.

Even learning English was, to some extents, difficult, even detrimental. When I'm tired, I speak French in English, and English in French. I often mix grammars from both languages.

My mind struggles with spoken and written words. I'm a visual person and I think in images and concepts. Spoken and written words are naturally foreign to me.

However, ASL (American Sign Language) *is* a visual language. I am a visual person. Besides, a language that doesn't rely on words and a language that doesn't rely on sound...

Sound... the human speech, my old nemesis...

Now you understand why I fell in love with the language!

Do I need to add that learning ASL, while requiring some efforts, it is much much much easier than learning any other *spoken* languages?

Vacations have somewhat messed up the schedule, but for the time being, at least 3 times a week, I have my one-hour online ASL lessons, and I'm siging merrily! (at ASL University, and ASLPro)

It will take quite some times to be reasonably fluent in ASL, I don't illusion myself... but I like the results so far.

Really, I don't expect my lover to ever sign in ASL, nor my close friends (although they are highly interested by my progress! Maybe it's going to be contagious, who knows!) but when I meet a person and having a choice, I'd choose ASL over a spoken language, anytime!

It's less tiring for me!!

A side-note: Like any language, and ASL *is* a language in its own right, there *IS* a culture.

So while I'm learning ASL, I'm also discovering the very rich deaf culture. To an hearing person, it's fascinating.

I find many similarities... with my own culture too. The joy and pain of being a minority struggling in an overwhelming majority culture. I'll keep those considerations for other blog entries. :)

Cheers,

-E